Hope's Homecoming
by neilia96
Summary: In a farmer's market, Klaus stumbles upon a six year old girl who steals his heart. all over again. His daughter, Hope. Klaus and Hope build their relationship while Klaus plots to kill the witches who murdered Hayley. AU Post 2x22 Where Hayley actually managed to get Hope away from New Orleans but was killed by the ancestors as she left. *First fic ever, very nervous*
1. She's Dead

"You have ketchup on your shirt," The little girl with the dazzling blue eyes pointed out as Klaus picked up a tiny vial of wolfs bane. He looked down, first at the girl and then at the remnants of the cashier at boutique Rebekah had dragged him to. He narrowed his eyes at the small spot of blood.

"It's not ketchup, love." He pointed out with a soft smile. The little girl smirked prettily and then bit her lip with a confused frown.

"Then what is it." Far be it from him to ruin the little princess' innocence. He stooped down so he was at eyelevel with her and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm a bit of a messy eater, its barbecue sauce." She seemed satisfied with his answer and nodded solemnly.

"So am I, but Sister Erika is trying to teach me to be better." He smiled. "I expected a grown up to be the best at staying clean." With a small chuckle he brushed some of her light brown hair out of her face. To him, something seemed awfully familiar about the girl, but he put it to having lived for so long. There was bound to be some descendant or other who looked familiar to him. "Honestly, love, grownups are even worse at staying clean." She frowned. "I say, it's because we're bigger. It's a lot easier to get dirty when you're huge." She laughed.

"You're not huge at all!"

"Huger than you." He grinned widely and reached up to pull one of the bouquets of purple aconite flowers by the silver wrapping paper, careful not to touch the stem. He held the small bouquet in his hand.

"Not by much." He stood up and she narrowed her eyes cutely at him. She was barely at his waist. This girl had enchanted Niklaus, interested him more than anyone had in a long time. He smiled again.

"Did you say you lived with a nun?" He expected her to recoil at the invasive question the way an older person would, but her innocent child mind only saw him as curious.

"Yes, all of us at St. Jude's do." She frowned again. "The nuns take care of us since our mommies and daddies all died." Klaus' teasing mood of earlier dissipated. He froze.

"Your mommy and daddy died?" She nodded bravely, obviously fighting back tears. He thought of Mikael then, how he'd never really been a father, and Esther, who had been stuck in a loveless marriage, too terrified to be with the man she truly loved. They had never truly been good parents but they were the only parents he'd had. "Mine too." She looked up at him in wonder.

"When they tried to take me to St. Jude's I was so sad I kicked Sister Erika in the mouth." The little girl was so proud and Klaus smiled. Then she cast a roving eye around the stall they were standing in front of. "She's supposed to be around here somewhere, but I wanted to look at the purple flowers." Klaus remembered the bouquet in his hand and held it out to her.

"Well now, you have your own purple flowers." She picked it up, by the wrapping paper as he had done and made the mistake of dragging her fingers through the pretty flowers. Then, everything happened very quickly for Klaus.

With a gasp, the bouquet fell to the ground, the little girl with the dazzling blue eyes cradled her hand against her chest, the red burn blisters already beginning to fade, a lady in a nun's habit ran towards them just as the sky darkened, the girl's blue eyes darkened to a cool navy and Klaus fell to the ground, a blinding pain in his head.

"I am so sorry, Niklaus!" The woman apologized profusely, grabbing the little girl by the arm roughly. "You were never supposed to know!" Klaus was beyond confused as he lay there, panting, trying to gain control of his legs amidst the pain. He saw them walking away, the little girl shooting him a sad longing look over her shoulder. The nun turned back towards him. "As far as you know, she's dead." He began to fall into darkness. "Forget this happened, Hayley would want it this way." With that, they vanished and he lost consciousness.


	2. Her Name is Hope

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you for the reviews and private messages, they were all amazing and they convinced me enough to write this flashback chapter. I'm still not sure where this fic is going, so any suggestions you guys have, feel free to tell me (I'll give credit, I promise) and I'll include it in. So without further ado: The Second Chapter. Review please! :***

Six _Years Earlier_

Hayley Marshall clutched the little bundle closer to her chest as a small branch in her path almost sent her sprawling to her knees. She gasped and the wolf that was leading her spared her a sympathetic look. Her shirt was doused in blood, the baby's blanket was dirty from passing leaves and she was ready to collapse from exhaustion but she had to press forward. The wolf howled softly, beckoning her and she nodded curtly.

"I know, just give me a damn minute." The wolf howled again and the baby in the bundle made a whimpering sound. "I'm sorry baby… It'll be over soon." She heard the rapidly approaching footsteps and she quickened her pace. The wolf rushed with her, protecting her back.

With one last burst of energy, together, the trio made it past the city's borders. Hayley continued to run forward, watching the sign disappear around a corner. She exhaled loudly as they all slowed down. The red coupe slid to a stop beside her and a familiar face smiled from behind the wheel before getting out.

"They can't know that she survived, Rebekah." Hayley whispered and the wolf whined. They might have been out of the city's borders but they were still not safe. Together, they switched bundles and Hayley stared at the lifeless face in hers with disdain on her face. "Please tell me you didn't…"

"I'm not a monster, Hayley; I swiped a still born from two towns over." Hayley sighed, relieved, "They are going to come after you too, you know. Do you have a plan?"

"I'll run until I'm far enough from their ancestral reach. Then I'll try to live as best as I can until she's safe again." Rebekah nodded. "Where will you take her?"

"Some place they'll never imagine to look. They won't think she's with me because everyone knows I left in Eva Sinclair's 'll work. Especially if they think she's dead." Hayley nodded and the wolf whined again.

"Alright, Jackson, we're coming." She smiled at her baby. The only thing that was truly hers in the whole world. "You should tell Klaus when it's safe. Not now, maybe when she's a little older."

"I'll tell him." Rebekah turned the child in her arms so her mother could see her face. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Hayley sniffled, tears coursing down her face. "She has her mother's looks. Maybe there is a god after all." The brunette laughed softly making more tears spill over.

"Well she has a hint of the devil in her eyes, she all of that from Klaus." Hayley wiped her face and nodded to Jackson who was eyeing the scene with an expression as sad as Hayley's. They both knew what they would be giving up. "Protect her with your life, Rebekah. Make sure the witches never lay their hands on her."

"She will be safe and happy, Hayley. I promise." They both nodded and Rebekah leaned over to kiss Hayley's cheek. "You were the best thing that ever happened to our family Hayley, you gave us hope for a better life and for that, and there will always be a home for you with us. Always and Forever."

"Hope." Hayley whispered. "It's settled then, her name is Hope." Tears glistened in Rebekah's eyes. "Hope Mikaelson. It has a nice ring to it."

"Stay alive, Hayley. If not for yourself then for your daughter." Hayley grinned and kissed Hope's cheek.

"I'll do my best." She watched Rebekah get into her car and drive towards New Orleans and she and Jackson began running again with renewed energy. Just as Rebekah's back headlights disappeared, Hayley felt it. The beginnings of those damned aneurysms witches all over the world were famous for. She gave an almighty shout and began to utilize her werewolf speed making her blur as Jackson ran behind her.

Hayley had barely run a mile before she heard Jackson's loud howl behind her and turned around in concern. She saw him whimpering on the ground and began to rush towards him but doubled over in pain. She screamed, Jackson howled and the witch who stood before them frowned in pity. Hayley reached out to her.

"Hello, Hayley." With blonde hair and a flowing white dress, the witch looked like an angel. She stepped forward, bringing her face into the orange glow of a streetlight. "I'm so sorry it had to come to this, I assure you that was never my intention."

"Who the hell are you?" Hayley demanded fear making her voice sound very small. With a shuddering breath, Hayley tried to commit her daughter's face to memory. She trembled again, the witch towering over her with a sad look in her grey eyes.

And so in the dead of night, just days after her child's father had promised to love and trust her no matter what and hours after her daughter had been born, Hayley Marshall died with Klaus on her mind and her daughter's name a whisper on her lips.

"Goodbye my Hope, I love you."


	3. Together Now

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Originals, but isn't that a tad obvious?**

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Klaus groaned as Elijah pointed out another spot of blood on the concrete of the courtyard. He moved towards it, the mop bucket protesting noisily. It was an old thing that they never used because the cleaning crew brought their own. He wiped up the mess and looked up at his older brother with an indignant look on his face.

"There, are you pleased now?" Elijah nodded serenely and Marcel grinned at the sight. Klaus was wearing yellow rubber gloves and a dark green apron that matched his shirt for the mammoth cleaning job he'd had to do.

"I think you might have missed—" Klaus shot marcel the most murderous look and the younger vampire held his tongue. "It's all for you anyway, I don't get why you're so mad."

"I'm mad because we pay people to do this very job." Klaus responded and Elijah scoffed. "I don't understand why I was the one who had to scrub this damned courtyard top to bottom."

"Because it was filthy and you yourself said that you were planning to bring a special friend here." Elijah pointed out, beginning his human speed descent down the staircase.

"I said I might." Klaus quipped. "For all I know, there are contingency plans in the event that I happen to meet the girl before these guardians deemed her ready." Elijah nodded at that possibility. "They could have very well packed up the whole orphanage and been halfway to Alaska by now."

"Nope." Marcel vamped down the stairs getting there at the same time Elijah touched the now spotless concrete floor. "I had some of my guys keep an eye on the house until you got here. The whole place has been business as usual." Klaus didn't let them see it, but he felt relief wash over his entire body.

"Thank you, Marcellus." Elijah passed Klaus on his way to the front gates. "Now Niklaus: the courtyard is clean, let's go find your daughter."

The trio followed Elijah, who offered to drive, into the huge black SUV and he sped to the address Marcel gave them. The house they pulled up to had a homey feel to it and Klaus could feel anticipation and trepidation coursing through his veins as he alone walked up the driveway to the huge door. As soon as he lifted his hand, it swung open to reveal a woman in a white t shirt and dark blue jeans. She had the curliest brown hair Klaus had ever seen and had probably tried to tame it in a hair tie, but long tendrils were already worming their way out of it. She pushed some of her hair back as she looked up at him with dark brown eyes that were almost black in the low light.

"Niklaus Mikaelson, we've been expecting you for some time now." Klaus took an involuntary step back and frowned.

"I had to take some time to compose myself before I even attempted to come here and see—" He stopped and the woman nodded understandingly.

"I assumed as much but you must understand, Hope has been very eager to meet you in your…" She trailed off, searching for the right words. "Official capacity." Klaus swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat

"I wasn't aware she even knew who I was."

"She didn't, Sister Erika filled her in when we got back here and she'd calmed down." The woman looked up with a jolt. "And I just realized, I never introduced myself. I am Sister Joanna. I run the St. Jude's Home for Children." Klaus nodded.

"Niklaus Mikaelson," He swallowed again and looked further into the house expecting Hope to be standing there, waiting as Joanna had said she was.

"She's in the green house," She didn't even invite him in, she simply stepped aside and began walking away. Klaus turned to glance at Elijah before closing the door and following Joanna through the huge house. "It's her favourite room in the house and she wanted it to be the first thing you saw when you got here."

"How exactly did she—"

"We have a very bizarre arrangement with your daughter, Niklaus." Klaus tried not to shudder at the word again. _Daughter. He found his daughter again._

"Klaus please."

"Klaus." Joanna smiled. "She has an uncanny ability to tell when people are lying, so we simply don't lie to her."

"Sensible." Klaus tried not to be too sarcastic. "Might I ask how Hope came to be in your possession at this orphanage?" Something flickered in the woman's eyes but Klaus acted like he never saw it. She smiled after a short hesitation. They continued walking up a long flight of stairs.

"A young woman banged on our doors very early one morning almost six years ago, she said her name was Rebekah Lebonair and that she was in possession of a witch that needed a place to grow." Joanna's voice became solemn. "She gave us explicit instructions to keep Hope alive, safe and happy away from the French Quarter for at least five years or until she could defend herself." Klaus' eyebrows shot up. "If her little display at the Market with you, her powers are still unstable, though she is getting better." Joanna stopped before double doors that looked like they were built with the house. The nun knocked twice and opened the door, leading Klaus into a breathtakingly beautiful room. There were flowers growing all over it, in pots, in huge buckets, in crates; miniature palm trees lined a small white rug that led to the center of the room where a young woman was seated on the floor before a round coffee table wearing a worn out but still presentable white dress.

The woman stood up at Joanna's entry and smiled at Klaus politely. With quick steps she made it to them in a few seconds.

"Sister Joanna, are you sure?"

"Very, Erika." Erika still looked unsure but trusted Joanna to the fullest. She held her hand out and Klaus took it gingerly.

"I will not hurt her." He promised but the woman laughed almost mockingly. Klaus' small smile slipped and he tried to maintain an impassive facial expression.

"I'm not worried about her, Mr. Mikaelson." Erika explained. "That little show she put on at the market, that wasn't even an eighth of her full potential." Erika smiled at Joanna and whirled around. "Your highness," She called playfully. "Your tea party may need to be cut short; your faithful servant has a visitor and so do you." The little girl came running out. She was wearing a pink dress with holes at the bottom and ballet pointe shoes with no strings but she still looked stunning amidst that. Her dirty blonde hair fell in ringlets down her back and her face was flushed from whatever game they were playing. She stopped before Sister Joanna.

"How dare you interrupt the royal tea party?"

"Our sincerest apologies your majesty." Klaus cut in and he saw Hope's eyes widened when she recognized him. Joanna smiled at Erika and together, they left the room though, and Klaus noticed this with a smile, they left the door ajar.

"You again."

"Hello." The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously. The man Sister Erika had called her father shifted uncomfortably in the doorway until she stepped aside.

"What are you doing here?" Klaus tried to ignore the fact that her eyes were the exact shade and color of his, or the shape of her lips which came from his mother, her hair was his too, but the shape of her face, the stubborn set of her chin and the grace with which she carried herself, that was all Hayley. He smiled, reminiscent as she walked to the table, her movements not at all like a child. She moved like a grown woman, her stride graceful and her steps confident and sure.

"I came to see you." He replied simply and the girl looked terribly hopeful for a moment before her face settled into an emotionless mask.

"Oh. Ok." She shrugged and sat down at the coffee table, fixing the hands of one of the stuffed animals. "Well would you like to join me for tea?" Klaus smiled and nodded.

"I'd love to." He sat down on the floor on the other end of the table. There were two chairs on either side with different toys on each. He looked at them in turn as she went around, pouring tea for each. There was a green frog on one, a Barbie doll, a ken doll and an Optimus Prime action figure. He wanted to laugh at the diverse guest list. "How much of yesterday do you remember?"

"Everything." Klaus shivered even though vampires couldn't get cold. "Those flowers burned me and I hurt you because I was in pain." Sister Erika had explained it all. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was." Klaus shivered again. The girl's raw honestly was almost terrifyingly beautiful. "Sister Erika gave me the thing to repeat and I completely forgot it yesterday." She shook her head. "It won't happen again."

"What did you have to repeat?" A small smile played on both their lips as the toddler recalled what was said to her just that morning.

"I am safe in my space." She answered. "It's supposed to be calming but it just annoys me." He laughed softly. "But I'm annoyed enough to distract me from doing magic, so it works."

"Do you know what you are?" At this, Hope nodded though she looked a little unsure. "So tell me then, Hope, what are you?"

"Sister Erika says I'm half witch half vampire." She frowned. "But she also says that I smell like something else and my heart beats, which isn't normal for a vampire."

"Sister Erika told you a lot." Hope nodded.

"She isn't allowed to lie to me." Klaus smiled. "I'm very good at telling when people are lying to me," She continued honestly. "So can I ask you a question now?"

"Of course."

"Are you really my daddy?" Hope began tentatively as she took a sip of the apple juice that was their tea substitute. "Because Sister Erika says that if you are, then I'm part werewolf too. And she's happy about that but I would just be happy to have a daddy." Klaus felt her words pierce him in his un-beating heart.

"I think I am, Hope." He felt tears pricking the backs of his eyelids as the girl's bottom lip quivered. She searched his eyes, probably for some indication that he was lying but there was none. All she could see was what he felt. Fear, Confusion, Desperation and a tinge of Intimidation. "You have my eyes," He whispered and she gasped as she noticed.

"I do!" She smiled. "And your hair too." Klaus nodded. The little girl pulled a large portion of hair to her shoulders. "Mine is longer." She made a face at him and stuck out her tongue.

"Mine used to be that long," Hope laughed a loud bubbly, infectious laugh that had Klaus grinning.

"Boys aren't supposed to have long hair!" She yelled, still laughing and Klaus felt a tear slid down his face.

Hope realized that he was crying and stood up from her plastic chair to walk over to him. She wiped the tear away with her hand and held his face. Klaus froze, waiting to see what she would do.

"You shouldn't cry." Her voice was barely audible. "We're together now and that's all that matters, isn't it?"

"Yes, that is all that matters."


	4. Light and Colors and Flowers

The blue eyes were wide as they darted nervously around the compound. Klaus, for once was quiet as he led his daughter through the house. On his left, Elijah and Marcel followed whispering in undertones that only vampires could hear and on Hope's right, Sister Erika walked silently watching Hope with cautious eyes.

"You live here?" The little girl asked, squeezing Klaus' hands softly. He smiled down at her briefly and nodded. "It's huge."

"I know."

"It doesn't have enough color." Hope pointed out sensibly letting go of her father's hand to walk to the drink's trolley where a vase stood with dead flowers. Rebekah had received them from the mayor and like many of the flowers in the hanging vases all over the courtyard, none of the vampires that lived in the house ever remembered to water them. Klaus followed her, leaving Erika shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot and Elijah and Marcel who vamped up to the room they used as their joint office. Hope picked the flowers out of the vase and grinned up at Klaus. Almost immediately, the flowers sprung back to life, much like watching a fast forwarded video of a flower blooming. Hope let out a laugh of pure childish glee as she spun around. As she moved, Klaus saw every single flower in all the vases begin to revive much like the ones the little girl still held in her hands. The courtyard wasn't magically transformed into a mini garden bursting with color and light, but it was a step up from Dracula's Manor. Klaus smiled at the thought.

"Better, isn't it?"

"Much, thank you." He led her, unceremoniously to the small sitting area in the middle of the huge space. They sat down together with Sister Erika opposite them. "Do you like natural magic?"

"I prefer it." Hope grinned. "It's a lot easier because it's like a part of me." Klaus nodded. "I don't really have to focus when I do it."

"You must be very powerful then." Hope shrugged prettily and eyed Sister Erika, biting her top lip before glancing back at Klaus.

It was as though the little girl had whispered in his mind because he stood up and held a hand out to Erika.

"Sister, my friend Diego…" He said the name slightly louder so that Diego came vamping in. "Will show you around the abattoir. It has some rich history and of course I want to know if you think it's appropriate for a child as young as Hope to live here." He commanded and Diego threw him a baleful stare.

"I've been demoted to tour guide now?" He whispered harshly and Klaus glared at him. "I don't take orders from you Klaus." The hybrid would have said something snarky or sarcastic but he remembered Hope who was watching them with interested eyes. Klaus sighed.

"I'm not giving you an order, I'm asking nicely." He stepped closer to the much younger vampire so he could speak without being overheard. "If I have to ask again, I will use your innards as Christmas decorations." Diego's expression did not change, but he offered the blonde haired nun his elbow. She took it hesitantly before turning back to Klaus who was sitting again.

"Please don't hurt her." Klaus nodded.

"You have my word." He responded immediately and he heard Diego mutter something under his breath that sounded like:

"Fuck all that's worth." Klaus ignored him and turned back to Hope who was staring at the pair who was climbing the staircase to the second floor.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Klaus replied. "Why did you want her to leave in the first place?" He wanted to know and Hope wrung her hands in her lap.

"I told all of the nuns not to lie to me, but I've been lying to them all this time." Klaus was intrigued. He put his elbows on his thighs leaning forward so the little girl could whisper in his ear. "I'm more powerful than anyone else knows."

"What makes you say that?" She opted to show because she stood up and put her arms out. There was a slight lull and Klaus felt a rush of warmth wash over him. He closed his eyes, basking in it and when he opened them, the courtyard that had been dark at first was bathed in light. Light and color and flowers. He swallowed as he stared. The source of the light smiled again, making the amount of flowers multiply until it looked like a field. They were growing through the concrete floor if that was even possible and blossoming vines lined the walls.

Being able to conjure items from thin air was a type of magic he didn't think existed outside of fantasy books but here Hope was, just doing it for fun. When she'd grown either tired or bored, the flowers trailed their ways back through the concrete, though the blossoming vines stayed, still boasting pretty red and pink flowers.

"Impressive." Hope flushed. Getting praise from Sister Erika was one thing, but from this man she really wanted to be her father, it was something completely different. "So no one knows you can do this?"

"No one, because it's not just flowers." Klaus paled and he hoped she couldn't see it. Flowers meant it could be explained. Any witch could probably grow flowers from anywhere if they put their mind to it. But anything other than naturally occurring objects could be terrifyingly amazing. Power even he wouldn't be able to rationalize or control for that matter.

Hope sat back down and cupped her hands, closing her eyes. Klaus kept his gaze trained on her hands and slowly but surely a shape began to form. It started out as small dot of gold but it grew gradually until it formed a ring. She played around with it in her hands for a while changing it's size before handing it to Klaus. He put it on the only finger it fit, his pinky and she smiled.

"So flowers and fashionable jewelry." Hope laughed again and it made Klaus smile this time, because he loved the sound of it.

"Well they are my two most favorite things in the whole wide world." She tucked her legs underneath her like she'd been living there for ages. "And it's anything really, as long as I can visualize it in my mind, everything about it, I can create it." She blushed again, looking down at her hands. It's a bit weird I know."

"Not weird, unique." He replied immediately. "It means you are special." Klaus was one hundred percent sure he would always remember the look on Hope's face when he muttered those words. As though on cue, Sister Erika and Diego began their descent down the staircase and Hope stood up too.

"Do you want her to stay here with you?" Sister Erika asked as they got closer, but by her tone of voice, Klaus could tell she probably wanted him to say no. Instead, he turned to the now standing child.

"It's up to her, really. If she wants to stay here, they she stays here. If she wants to go, she can go. But…" He pulled the little girl into a hug that she returned eagerly. "You'll always have a home with me, no matter what you decide to do." Hope smiled shyly as she pulled away from the hug.

"Well in that case." Her voice became solemn as she considered her options. "I choose to…"


	5. More Than My Own Life

_Six Years Earlier_

"Please, Sister!" Rebekah cried banging on the light blue doors of the St. Jude's Home for Children.

"We cannot help you, Ms. Mikaelson." The voice drifted out, muffled by the door between the two women. "There is a price on your head and I am not interested in endangering the lives of every child in this orphanage."

"You can cloak her."

"I can, but I will not." Joanna continued, resting her head on the cool wood of the door to alleviate her headache. "The witches of the quarter will not hesitate to slaughter anyone who helps you."

"You are duty bound by God himself!" Rebekah yelled, already losing her temper. The child let out a little whimper and she cradled Hope against her chest. "All that stuff about What Would Jesus Do, is it all bollocks?"

"I am sorry, Ms. Mikaelson." Joanna replied. "Your siblings made their beds; it is time for them to lie in it."

"And the child?!" The blonde's voice was bordering on hysteria. "The baby in my arms who knows nothing. She has made no bed, will she still have to lie and die?" The door opened with a barely audible click.

"You leave here and never turn back." Joanna's voice was deathly soft, the only evidence of the stress she'd faced showing in her eyes. "The protection spells I intend to place will last seven years. I will contact you when she turns seven if she begins asking questions." A sob clutched at Rebekah's throat. "I'll leave you to say your goodbyes." Joanna strolled back into the house and Rebekah lifted the baby so she could kiss her forehead.

"What a dilemma we face, ey Hope?" Hope gurgled with a smile that Rebekah returned. "This is goodbye, I'm afraid, but not for long." A tear slid down the blonde's cheek. "Your family is filled with the most resilient idiots I've ever met, and they will fight for you. That, I swear." Hope grinned, a toothless smile that had Rebekah full on weeping. "We love you, littlest wolf, always and forever." Unexpectedly, Joanna lifted the baby from Rebekah's arms and she sagged with relief.

"I meant what I said, Ms. Mikaelson, do not come back." Joanna's eyes were solemn. She wondered briefly how long it would take her companion to retrieve Hayley from the Bayou. "The witches of the French Quarter are ruthless and should they know of our involvement in this…" The sister trailed off, a faraway look in her eyes.

"I appreciate it, Sister." Joanna snuggled Hope and Rebekah smiled at the sight. "Her name is Hope, you know." Joanna smiled. "Take care of her, please."

"I will. I swear it."

"Thank you so much." She whispered. Hope cooed and her eyes drifted down to her perfect face. "I love you, Hope, more than my own life."

"Be on your way, Ms. Mikaelson." Rebekah bit her lip. "She will be taken care of, I promise." The two women smiled at each other briefly and Rebekah turned around and sped away leaving Joanna and Hope on the doorsteps.

 **A/N: The 'more than my own life' quote comes from Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer.**

 **Be a good reader and review :)**


	6. Something Like Hope

**A/N: Another short chapter, but I promise the others will be longer. School was a little overwhelming so I don't have much writing time these days but I'm trying.**

 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to L.J. Smith and Julie Plec**

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Hope's room was one of the most magnificent in the entire abattoir. It looked out over bourbon street so she could see the revelers and their partying if she wanted and as an added sweetener, she had an entire bathroom all to herself. At the orphanage, she had to share a bedroom with three other witches and there was only two bathrooms on the floor to be shared by twenty girls just like her. In short, the orphanage was crowded but here in her father's house, she had almost unlimited space all to herself.

She sat in the middle of her vast bedroom, playing with the necklace she'd had since she was a baby as she wondered what was going to happen now. She'd agreed to move in with her father but so far, apart from dropping her off in the bedroom, he hadn't even come to say hello. At the orphanage, she could have gone up to the green-house whenever she wanted and that at least gave her a sense of freedom, but here, she was cooped up in her room with no one to keep her company.

"Having fun?" A voice interrupted her train of thought and she looked up, startled to be disturbed. A man in a suit stood in her doorway, a tiny smile playing on his features.

"Does it look like I am?" She bit her lip. "I'm sitting on the floor. How much more fun could I have in this house?" The man smiled again, amused. "Who are you?"

"I am Elijah. Officially, I'm just another vampire who lives in this house, but unofficially, I'm your uncle." Hope swallowed a lump in her throat. More family.

"Oh. Hello."

"Hello, Hope. I've heard a lot about you." He was no longer smiling. "How are you enjoying your time here so far?"

"I'm bored, hungry and thirsty." She stated blithely and Elijah smiled again. "I'm pretty sure that sums it up nicely."

"Well I can fix two of those three things." He walked deeper into the room and held out a hand. "Shall I show her highness to the kitchen?" Hope giggled.

In the kitchen, he showed her the choice of cereals and the milk with a casual look that somehow managed to be filled with curiosity. She felt like an animal at the zoo but didn't really want to say anything lest she offend her new uncle and get kicked out of her new family's life forever.

She hoped that would never happen but after two years of knowing that her father was alive and that he would probably never come to see her, she still harbored severe abandonment issues.

"What do you usually eat?"

"I drink blood mostly, but Sister Erika wants me to try human food every now and then to develop my taste buds." She pulled a box from the lot: Coco Puffs and filled a bowl. He held out the milk but she only shook her head, took a handful from the bowl and ate it quite nonchalantly. When her mouth was empty, she turned to Elijah, her eyes filled with something like hope. "Did Klaus send you to keep me company?"

"He did." Elijah replied honestly. "He'll be intruding soon enough, Hope." The little girl grinned. "Were you worried?"

"That he'd left me here all alone?" The grin morphed into something a little sadder. "Yes. I was. I didn't want to be abandoned again…"

"Did you feel abandoned all those years in the orphanage?"

"Not at first." The little hand picked up a ball of chocolate from the bowl and she played with it between her fingers instead of eating. "I guess I was younger and never really wanted an explanation. It wasn't until one of the girls in my room got adopted that I started to ask Sister Erika." Her eyes looked unhappy.

"Do you miss her very much?"

"No. I'd much rather be here with my family." The little voice was filled with determination. Elijah smiled at her and nodded at the figure standing in the doorway.

"Well I am glad to hear that." Hope turned around at the sound of her father's voice. "I apologize for not coming to see you sooner."

"It's ok. Elijah was very entertaining." She laughed. "And so were the Coco Puffs."

"Good to know." The two men exchanged a look. "Marcellus is back, we didn't find anything much at the bayou, but he has one little issue that needs your immediate attention."

"I'll find him right now." Hope waved goodbye at him and proceeded to eat another handful of cereal.

"How would you like to see something interesting." Her mouth was full but she answered anyway, making Klaus raise his eyebrows.

"That sounds cool." He held out a hand for her and she took it without hesitation. Klaus vamped her to the roof where they could see the city on all sides. It was quite a view and Hope gasped when she saw it.

"Do you like it?"

"It is a great view." He led her to one section where she saw a single plant growing in a pot. "Why did you want to show it to me?"

"Because this roof can be your greenhouse." Hope's jaw dropped. "I figured you needed a safe place to practice your natural magic and…" Klaus trailed off. Hope took his hand, prompting him to continue. "I want you to feel comfortable here. I want this to be your home too, Hope."

"It already is, Klaus. I love the roof. Thank you so much for doing this for me." She steeled herself. "And I have a surprise for you to." He eyed her, intrigued. "I've decided, if you'll let me, to take your surname." Klaus froze.

"Are you quite serious?"

"I am." Hope answered with conviction. "I am grateful to finally have a family. And I've never been more sure of anything else in my entire life. I want to be a Mikaelson."


	7. Hope Mikaelson

**Short Chapter cuz I think this story is almost done.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Originals.**

* * *

 **Hope Mikaelson**

"It has a nice ring to it…" Klaus murmured making Hope laugh. The words had such finality to them, written on the official looking paper that they all stood staring at. Hope smiled softly, Klaus grinned openly and Elijah's face remained stoic. Marcel's news shocked him, much more than he was willing to admit. As the three of them sat in the seating area in the courtyard, Marcel and his vampires were on their way to the Orphanage where Hope grew up. He wondered if he would finally get the answer to a question that had been on his mind since he'd first known who Hope was.

* * *

Marcellus Gerard had never quite liked witches. Never in his whole life had he ever fully trusted a witch.

Sophie Devereaux was a distraction.

Davina Clare was the exception.

The witches of New Orleans fell even lower on his trust meter, their actions earning them permanent hatred from him and anyone else who knew what they were truly capable of. Even his friend and brother Thierry, who had been in a relationship with a witch before she died, admitted openly that the witches of New Orleans were particularly vengeful, hateful human beings.

When he pulled up to the St. Jude's Orphanage in the borrowed SUV, he wondered what the nuns were doing at that very moment.

Yes, Marcellus Gerard had never quite liked witches. And the very idea of what he was going to do to them almost made him smile.


	8. Indulging

**Six Years Earlier**

The woman with blonde hair in the white dress sighed deeply as she entered the huge library of the even huger house. She walked straight to the end table next to the armchair that sat before the fire and stifled a smile as she reached her desired object. The glass bottle that held all the bourbon they allowed in the house. She poured a small amount into a glass and took a sip.

"Indulging, are we?" an older woman spoke up from behind her. The glass slipped from her hands but practiced and powerful magic levitated it before it could spill it's contents.

"A bit." The older woman chuckled. "I fear, sister, it has been a long night. One that is best left forgotten."

"Maybe for you." The blonde haired woman gestured to an adjoining armchair and together, they sat down. "Upon our doorstep less than two hours ago stood a Mikaelson begging me to relieve her of a baby."

If Sister Joanna had been paying attention, she would have seen how the blonde haired woman's face drained of color. Her thoughts, however, were consumed with Hope and she was too busy smiling into the fire to notice anything, really.

"Where is the baby?" The suddenly coarse voice whispered. "And who do you intend to care for it?"

"She is upstairs with Gretchen." Joanna frowned at her companion. "I had hoped you would be able to take care of her. Her name is Hope, daughter of Hayley Marshall and Niklaus Mikaelson."

Erika pushed some of her blonde hair out of her eyes and straightened her white dress so Hayley's blood was no longer as visible. She sighed again and gave Joanna a pensive stare with her grey eyes before smiling.

"It would be an honor to teach the young witch."


End file.
